2006 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe

Naturally in my quest for better value among 911 models I began to turn to the 997. Last week that lead me to a ’05 Carrera S Cabriolet that showed plenty of promise. As mentioned in that post, the potential for IMS issues is elevated with that year of the 997 so this week we’ll look at one built just a year later, but which shows equal overall promise. This should also give us a sense of the possible value differences between the two model years, which I suppose we could think of as the price you pay for peace of mind. Here we have a Lapis Blue Metallic 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe, located in North Carolina, with Sand Beige interior and 47,855 miles on it. As I’ve stated previously, the prices for these early 997s kind of snuck up on me. I spend a lot of time wading in the ever deepening waters of the air-cooled 911 market and when I suddenly turned my attention to these modern examples I was blown away at what your money might get. With the 997, later model years still seem to command much higher values – they are after all still pretty new – but for these earlier model years the prices aren’t too bad and you’re getting a lot of car for your money. Their styling is, to my eye, a bit conservative, but their relationship to the 911s of yore is clear and I don’t think anyone will confuse them with some other model.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe on eBay

Year: 2006
Model: 911 Carrera S
Engine: 3.8 liter flat-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 47,855 mi
Price: Reserve Auction ($43,500 Buy It Now)

2006 911 Carrera S

VIN: WP0AB29956S741785

Mileage: 47,855 (Totally serviced and ready to be enjoyed)

Exterior Color: Lapis Blue Metallic

Interior Color: Sand Beige Leather

Optional Equipement:

Self Dimming Mirrors
Heated Front Seats
19′ Sport Design Wheels
Wheel Caps with Colored Crest
Sport Chrono Package Plus
Bose High End Sound Package
Midnight Blue Metallic
Sand Beige Floor Mats
Power Seat Package
Sand Beige Full Leather

This Carrera S was traded in to us by a Porsche enthusiast who traveled just 48,000 miles in it. We love 997’s simply because the are true to their 911 performance, handling, and design roots and these cars raised the bar in drivability. Upon receiving the car we launched our typical service routine. The 997 model requires little maintenance when compared to the air-cooled cars manufactured just a decade earlier.

Our goal is to provide Porsches that owners can drive without any concerns, so you don’t need to service them as soon as you get in. That said, after we went through this car from from to back, we added fresh tires so that you can start zero. When we finished our complete check/service, we turned our attention to the car’s appearance. We rubbed and massaged the paint so this Carrera S looked as close to new as 48,000-mile car can.. The Deep Blue metallic is striking against the red brake calipers of this S model. The tan leather interior is in excellent condition, and we protected it further by adding a light window tint. The new owner should use and enjoy this car: to that end, we added a Sirius Radio adapter for the longer drives.

Lapis Blue is another color within that part of the spectrum that can be pretty hard to distinguish from black metallic, especially in pictures. In the right light though it gives off a really nice dark blue hue that brings with it an air of sophistication. And that is precisely the place this Carrera S takes me. It’s elegant and reserved. We might even consider it a sleeper were it not so obviously connected to one of the most iconic sports cars of all time. The interior complements the exterior well and carries with it that same personality. The same can be said of the Sport Design wheels. For understated style and performance this 911 could make for a very good option. As always, this car comes with the usual caveats of getting a PPI and if it includes its maintenance history then even better. Now back to last week’s ’05: with a BIN price of $43.5K we’re $7K higher than the price of the ’05 Cabriolet. Cabriolets tend to be a little pricier than comparable coupes so we should keep that in mind, but either way it gives us a sense of where things are. Since this is a reserve auction then perhaps bidding will shed further light on the current market, but even at its BIN price the value here is pretty nice.

-Rob